


Pancakes For Dinner

by harveyberlin



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), College, F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28863483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harveyberlin/pseuds/harveyberlin
Summary: song fic inspired by Pancakes for Dinner by Lizzy McAlpine following Ricky and Nini through their college experience
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 9
Kudos: 22





	Pancakes For Dinner

Nini rubbed her eyes hoping to wipe away the bleary effect of the exhaustion that was catching up with her. She dragged her hands down her face, covering her mouth while she yawned.

“I think we should turn in for the night. My brain stopped processing information half an hour ago; everything I’m reading is going in one ear and out the other,” Ricky stretched out his hands above his head, relieving some of the tension in his back built up by hunching over his books the whole night.

“Mmm, I can fit in one more chapter,” she rested her head on her hands propped up on the table. Ricky stood up and walked behind the girl, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He gently pressed a few kisses to the side of her head.

“Neens, baby, it’s almost two in the morning, and your final isn’t for another few days. Please come to bed.” She relaxed into his embrace, taking a deep breath. There was a silence for a few moments before Nini’s stomach growled. “When’s the last time you ate?” He laughed softly.

“Um when we made grilled cheese and tomato soup earlier,” she said, slightly guilty.

“Nini, are you kidding me? That was over twelve hours ago!” He pulled back and she turned her head to look at him.

“Must be serious if you’re calling me Nini,” she giggled, “I was just busy and lost track of time.”

“Okay well I’m not letting you go to bed hungry, so sit back while I whip something up,” he walked into their small kitchen.

“Ooh, can you make banana pancakes?” She yelled loud enough for him to hear her, “please?”

“I guess it’s close enough to breakfast time,” he laughed, getting out all the necessary ingredients. She hopped out of her chair and skipped into the kitchen. The tiredness washed away from the couple as they danced around the kitchen, laughing, mixing, and flipping.

“I’ll grab the syrup!” After doing so, she hopped on the kitchen counter waiting for Ricky to bring the plate of hot pancakes. “They smell so good!”

“You’re probably so hungry you’d think anything smells good at this point,” Ricky smiled, placing the plate in between them.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it,”she leaned forward, placing a quick peck on his lips. She took her fork, cutting into the pancake; her eyes closed in satisfaction as soon as she bit into it, not quite realizing how hungry she was.

“You’ve got a little,” Ricky placed his index finger under her chin, lifting it up. With his thumb, he wiped a few drops of syrup that had missed her mouth. He brought his hand back to his face, licking the sweet goop off his thumb. From atop the counter, Nini hooked her legs around the boy’s waist, pulling him in close. He braced his fall by placing his hands on the counter, caging the girl in. She slid a hand up his chest, landing behind his neck, and pulling him into a kiss. Ricky gladly returned the kiss, his lips parting slightly to mold with hers. She snaked both her arms around his neck. The boy stood a little straighter, his hands finding their way to her thighs.

“We should get to sleep soon,” she pulled away from Ricky, their foreheads still touching.

“Oh, I’m so not tired anymore,” he said, nuzzling his head into her neck, peppering small kisses, making her giggle.

* * *

This was the third night this week that Ricky was eating dinner alone. Nini had been spending late nights on campus, claiming she had a busy workload. He glanced at the clock hanging above the kitchen doorway; it was nearing 9 pm. She was never this late. Something about her having to take the bus this late didn’t sit right with him, so without a thought, he grabbed his keys.

He had texted her saying he was picking her up, and she told him that she was in the music wing and had given him the room number. Ricky turned the corner, counting down the numbers until he got to the right room. It was a recording room the college offered the upper division music students. Peeking his head in, he saw his girlfriend packing her things. His smile faltered when he saw her turn around and start to laugh. Ricky walked further into the room and saw her talking to a tall figure: Scott Brooks.

_2 years ago:_  
_Ricky had finally convinced Nini to go to a party on greek row. One of his friends’ frat was hosting a party at the local bar, and the two had walked in less than an hour ago._

_“Thanks for staying sober with me. Sorry if it’s ruining the fun,” Nini smiled at the boy, nursing a bottle of water in her hand._

_“What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t,” he knocked his knee into hers, “Plus, the party is only as good as the company, so I’d say I’m having a pretty great time right now.” Nini turned her face away slightly, a red tint adorning her cheeks. They had been tip toeing the line between friendship and flirting for a steady while now. “I’m gonna find a bathroom, are you okay by yourself for a little?”_

_“Yeah, I’m gonna go say hi to a few girls from my english class,” she smiled at the boy who stood up. He had been trekking his way through the bar when he finally found the sign for the bathroom._

_“Nini Salazar Roberts for sure,” Ricky’s ear’s tuned in when he heard his best friend’s name. The voice was coming from a group of guys huddled in the corner. “Have you seen her? She’s freaky hot. I think she’s with that guy, but it wouldn’t be the first time a girl in a relationship was screaming my name,” he laughed cunningly. Ricky turned hot on his heels back to the girl he had fallen for in the past year._

_“Hey,” he placed an arm around her waist, a gesture not uncommon for the two but still made Nini feel giddy._

_“Hey, are you back already? What happened to finding a bathroom?”_

_“Couldn’t find one,” he half shrugged._

Ricky cleared his throat, knocking twice on the door that had been left open. The laughing pair turned to look at him. Nini’s smile immediately grew at the site of her boyfriend waiting for her.

“Hey come in, I’m almost done,” she grabbed her last notebook, stuffing it in her bag. “Scott, this is Ricky, Ricky, Scott.”

“Hey, man, your girlfriend’s crazy talented,” Scott held out a hand to Ricky. The boy looked at it, not giving in.

“Yeah, I know,” he muttered, clenching his jaw. Nini’s eyes grew in size at her boyfriend’s odd reaction.

“Okay, well I should head out. Thanks for all your help, Scott. I’ll see you next week,” she smiled at him before taking Ricky’s hand and leading them both out of the room. Once they had left the building and had gotten into his car, Nini turned in her seat and placed her hand over his, stopping him from changing the gear. “Alright what the hell was that?”

“What was what?” Ricky avoided eye contact.

“That little pissing contest you had with Scott just now.”

“I just didn’t realize you were spending your nights alone with just him all this time. That kind of seems like information you could’ve told me,” he scoffed.

“You’re kidding me, that’s what this is about?” Nini drew back slightly.

“I just don’t trust the guy, Neens.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you,” he reached out for her hands, caressing his thumb over her knuckles. “Scott, however, is a pompous asshole who has no respect for other people’s relationships. What were you even doing with him?”

“Nothing, we were just um,” she trailed off weakly. Ricky’s grip on her hands loosened at her answer, a frown overtaking his face.

“You were doing nothing with a guy for hours after class and well into the night?”

“No, no, that’s not what I- ugh” Nini screwed her eyes shut. “Okay it’s not ready yet, and it was supposed to be a surprise for Valentine’s Day next week, but,” she reached into her bag and pulled out a CD, putting it into the car speaker. Ricky looked at her curiously, waiting for the music to start playing. Her voice soon overtook the car, she had recorded a demo of one of her songs, a love song. The pair sat in silence listening to the melody, Ricky with a small smile on his face, and Nini ever so often sneaking a peek at the boy to gauge his reaction.

“Was that for me?” He said once the music had died out.

“Of course it’s for you, idiot, they’re all for you,” the corner of her mouth lifted in a grin.

“What?” This time she took his hands in hers.

“Ricky, I wake up and the first thing I think about is you, I go to sleep thinking of you; you’re my muse. Every song I’ve ever written has been about you. Look, I know you’ve been hurt and cheated on in the past, but this - you and me - is the real deal. I don’t want anyone else.”

“You’re the love of my life, Neens,” he pulled her by her hands closer to him. Her breath fanned over his face before he joined their lips together in a sweet and loving kiss.

“I love you.” She leaned back in for three short kisses.

* * *

Nini sniffled, bringing the blanket over her shoulders. She had come down with a cold after ignoring her symptoms for weeks on end, instead blaming them on seasonal allergies. All of her professor’s had been emailed and knew she could not come to class, so she had spent the day curled on the couch binging Criminal Minds.

Ricky unlocked the front door of their apartment, kicking off his shoes on the rack. After placing his bag and keys down he plopped himself on the seat next to her.

“Feeling any better, baby?” He pressed his lips gently to her forehead. “Your temperature seems lower, that’s good.”

“I feel like death,” she croaked out, making Ricky laugh in sympathy. He sat back on the couch and ushered for her to sit in between his legs. “I don’t want to make you sick.”

“Don’t worry about me, you know cuddling always makes you feel better, come on,” he smiled as she sat, her back pressed to his chest.

“It does, you’re a good cuddler. You’re all soft and nice and cute and-” she was interrupted by her own sneeze.

“Well I’m done with classes for the week, so I am all yours.”

“Good. I have my favorite boys: you and Matthew Gray Gubler,” she giggled.

“Hey, I don’t see Matthew here holding you,” he laughed, “his loss.”

They had stayed burrowed on the sofa for a few hours, Nini having fallen asleep soon after their conversation. Ricky had brought them dinner a while ago. Much to her complaining, he had left her to make some soup.

“Hey, Neens, we should get you in bed so you can be comfortable and sleep,” Ricky whispered in her ear. She was currently situated on top of him, her head tucked into his neck.

“But I want to finish the episode,” she pouted.

“We can finish it in bed, come on,” she sat up, and he turned so she could hop on his back. She laughed as he carried her down the hall to their room.

“Maybe I should get sick more often, cuddles, Criminal Minds marathons, and I get a piggyback ride? Sounds pretty good to me.”

“Don’t even think about it, I’ll do all of that with you when you’re healthy and not suffering,” he got under the covers, his hand snaking over her waist.

* * *

It was the end of their senior year of college which meant student showcases for all the arts and humanities students. Nini had been busy writing and recording, and Ricky had been so deep in his work that it felt as if they hadn’t spoken more than a few words to each other in weeks. Their days would start with a quick good morning and breakfast before they left for their separate work days.

Ricky came out of their bedroom to see his girlfriend sitting at the breakfast table, a cup of coffee in hand as she checked her email. He walked up behind her, wrapping her in a hug and pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

“Good morning, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” he opened their cabinet to pull out his own mug for coffee.

“I know, we’ve both been so busy,” she gave him a sympathetic smile.

“When do you finish setting everything up?”

“I have to be done by noon on Thursday so that everything is ready for this weekend.”

“Well then, Friday night I am stealing you away for a date night,” he took a seat in front of her.

“Oh? How did I get so lucky?” She smiled at him.

“I miss spending time with you, Neens.” She got out of her seat and climbed on his lap, her legs dangling off to the side.

“I miss you too, baby,” she said, inching her face towards his, but before she was met with a loving kiss, her phone buzzed signaling that she had a call. She pulled back sighing, “I can’t wait for Friday night.” She stood up to tend to her phone.

Friday had taken an excruciatingly long amount of time to roll around, but it was finally here. Nini smoothed out her red dress before sitting down at their table. Ricky had made a reservation at a nice restaurant. The two enjoyed their meal over the candle light, talking about anything from their day to their plans for the future. On the drive home, Ricky squeezed her hand three times, signaling he loved her.

“Thanks for dinner,” Nini smiled at him as they walked into their apartment.

“It had been too long since we had a date night.”

“You know what else we haven’t done in a long time?” she walked her hands up his chest until they were wound around his neck. He placed his hands on her waist, his thumb caressing small circles on her hips. With one hand, he pushed one of her dress straps down her shoulder. He pressed a kiss to it, then her collarbone, then her neck. Nini rolled her head back, giving him more access. When he had successfully left a mark, he finally found her lips.

The rough turbulence woke Ricky from his slumber and a dream. The same dreams he had been having all summer. All of them involving the same girl. The girl who wasn’t his. He looked around and saw the crowded seats of people around him. That summer he had decided to take a trip to Thailand as part of his study abroad. The sites and culture and food had been everything anyone could want, and yet at night his mind wandered back home.

Suddenly the turbulence from before made a comeback even stronger. The lights on the plane all turned on and he saw the flight attendants scurry out from the front.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, fasten your seat belts now! Fasten your seatbelts now! We are experiencing mechanical concerns,” A lady frantically spoke through the intercoms. The entire plane jutted downwards causing all the passengers to begin screaming. Ricky looked out the window and saw the storm outside.

“Everybody heads tilted down and forward please. Everything will be okay. Heads down and forward!”

And just like that, the shaking came to a halt, and the plane was gliding through the air as it should have been all along. Ricky froze for a moment, processing what had just happened. He had almost crashed. He and all of these people aboard the twelve hour flight with him had almost not made it home. Ricky looked down at his hand shaking and gripping on the arm rest, and he was overcome with tears. Screw being too forward. Screw crossing a line. He knew what he had to do.

_Ricky: hey nini, i have to tell u something really important_  
_Nini: good thing i’m picking u up from the airport when you land :)_  
_Ricky: ur gonna be there?_  
_Nini: yup see u soon!_

The ETA was half an hour. He could wait half an hour.

Nini had practically tackled him in a hug when she saw him pass through the gate. He picked her up by her waist and spun them around.

“You’re never allowed to leave for three months ever again!” She said, her face smushed into his chest.

“Thanks for picking me up at the airport,” he smiled, “I thought my dad was coming.”

“Yeah I convinced him to let me come; I thought I could surprise you,” she nudged him with her shoulder, “I just texted Mark to pull around; he’s been waiting in the car.”

“Mark?”

“Yeah, we uh, made it official this past weekend actually,” she smiled cheekily, “I wanted to tell you in person.” The color drained from Ricky’s face as he tried his best to keep his face from giving away what he was feeling inside.

“Oh.”

“Yeah!” She grabbed one of his suitcases, her hand looping onto his arm, “oh, what was the important thing you had to tell me?”

“What?’

“You said you had to tell me something really important when you texted earlier.”

“Oh, um, I finally listened to Taylor Swift’s new album. It’s, uh, it’s really good.” Ricky forced the corners of his mouth to turn up.

“This is why you’re my best friend,” she laughed, “let’s go!” As he walked with the brunette on his arm to the car of the man who had stolen her heart, he settled upon the conclusion that circumstance and timing were two heads of a sword meant to cut him. One flight earlier, a different study abroad, a little more courage, there were infinite factors he would’ve changed, but none of that mattered now because he couldn’t. He kept these thoughts swarming in his head that night when he lay his head on his pillow to rest because only then, when his eyes were closed and his imagination conscious, could he be with the girl he loves.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! If you liked it, I can maybe do a sequel with a happy ending haha


End file.
